When I was a kid, Hook (the Spielberg directed sequel to the classic Peter Pan story) became my favorite movie for a lot of different reasons. First, there was action. It was childlike in it's simplicity and fun, and there was lots of it. Second, the acting. Thanks in part I think to my families obsession with the arts, I've kinda always been aware of the quality of acting in a movie. I love me some truly good acting, and Hook had it. Third is what I have since come to understand is the signature touch of Hook's director, Steven Spielberg, one of the all time greats. He takes this world that can only exist in the imagination of a child and makes it real, in every way I can possibly conceive. And he does this so well that I have always found it easy to sink into that world and become a part of the story. Fourth, the screenplay is great. There wasn't a single line that didn't contribute to the story, and every scene contributed toward the eventual climax. Then, of course, the score by John Williams, which is still my favorite that he's ever written.
All in all, it was a perfect recipe for a perfect movie, and I loved it. Everything I loved about action, everything that I loved about fantasy and science fiction, everything I loved about characters and character-based drama, and everything I love about a good piece of prose. All of that wrapped neatly in one package, and Hook became my favorite movie. And it stayed there, and has for years. My tastes matured, and changed in some ways, but there still wasn't a single movie that met each of those elements in quite the same way as Hook.
But then I saw another movie the other day. It had everything I love about action and big summer blockbusters. It had everything I love about science fiction and fantasy. It had everything I love about characters and great character-based drama. It had everything I love about a good piece of prose. It met every expectation I had for it, and then said "Pshaw, you expected far too little!" and proceeded to blow my mind. Repeatedly. Ladies and Gentlemen, I've got a new favorite movie.
It's called The Avengers.
I know I said I was really looking forward to it. And sometimes, usually in fact, with movies I'm really looking forward to, I'm disappointed because it turns out to not be quite as fabulous as I wanted it to be. This is fact. The only time I'm usually impressed by a movie is when my expectations are low to begin with. However, my expectations for this movie were completely and utterly sky high. Even still, of the four things I mentioned I expected it to do two of them right. Either the action and the sci-fi, or the drama and the prose.
But turns out, when you get the Assembly down pat, everything works perfectly.
The action was epic. No other word for it. It was huge, but never seemed like too much, and even after watching the deaths of approximately a bajillion aliens, I never got tired of it. Epic. The Marvel universe has never had so great a friend as Joss Whedon, the visionary director responsible, I think, for a large part of the films awesomeness. That universe went from being nerdy to being a place I think I'll visit more often. And that change happened somewhere in the middle of the movie (When the Helicarrier just lifted out of the water? Yeah... that may have been it). And the character drama... Was perfect. Again, no other word for that. Never did I once think "That seemed a little off for that character", or "That seemed a little contrived". Every turn made perfect sense, and every character became a real person, in real situations, showing me stuff about myself and my reactions. I learned about myself, about my own relationships. Not many dramas can pull that off half so well as this movie did, even if that's all they aim to do. And the prose. The script. The lines. Ah, what can I say? It was funny, it was sad, it was silly, it was serious, and it never forgot what it was or where it was going. It was perfect.
That's really my last word. It was perfect. I have never seen (nor do I have hopes to see in the near future) a movie that good. It was everything I love about all movies ALL IN THE SAME FILM! Sorry to shout. But it was that good.
Go. See it. Then see it again. I really really want this movie to wipe the smile off of James "King Of The World" Cameron's face. And it can do it. It already is. So let's all lend a hand to making the worlds first truly great superhero movie the winner it should be. Because lets face it.
The Avengers actually DESERVES all this hype.
All in all, it was a perfect recipe for a perfect movie, and I loved it. Everything I loved about action, everything that I loved about fantasy and science fiction, everything I loved about characters and character-based drama, and everything I love about a good piece of prose. All of that wrapped neatly in one package, and Hook became my favorite movie. And it stayed there, and has for years. My tastes matured, and changed in some ways, but there still wasn't a single movie that met each of those elements in quite the same way as Hook.
But then I saw another movie the other day. It had everything I love about action and big summer blockbusters. It had everything I love about science fiction and fantasy. It had everything I love about characters and great character-based drama. It had everything I love about a good piece of prose. It met every expectation I had for it, and then said "Pshaw, you expected far too little!" and proceeded to blow my mind. Repeatedly. Ladies and Gentlemen, I've got a new favorite movie.
It's called The Avengers.
I know I said I was really looking forward to it. And sometimes, usually in fact, with movies I'm really looking forward to, I'm disappointed because it turns out to not be quite as fabulous as I wanted it to be. This is fact. The only time I'm usually impressed by a movie is when my expectations are low to begin with. However, my expectations for this movie were completely and utterly sky high. Even still, of the four things I mentioned I expected it to do two of them right. Either the action and the sci-fi, or the drama and the prose.
But turns out, when you get the Assembly down pat, everything works perfectly.
The action was epic. No other word for it. It was huge, but never seemed like too much, and even after watching the deaths of approximately a bajillion aliens, I never got tired of it. Epic. The Marvel universe has never had so great a friend as Joss Whedon, the visionary director responsible, I think, for a large part of the films awesomeness. That universe went from being nerdy to being a place I think I'll visit more often. And that change happened somewhere in the middle of the movie (When the Helicarrier just lifted out of the water? Yeah... that may have been it). And the character drama... Was perfect. Again, no other word for that. Never did I once think "That seemed a little off for that character", or "That seemed a little contrived". Every turn made perfect sense, and every character became a real person, in real situations, showing me stuff about myself and my reactions. I learned about myself, about my own relationships. Not many dramas can pull that off half so well as this movie did, even if that's all they aim to do. And the prose. The script. The lines. Ah, what can I say? It was funny, it was sad, it was silly, it was serious, and it never forgot what it was or where it was going. It was perfect.
That's really my last word. It was perfect. I have never seen (nor do I have hopes to see in the near future) a movie that good. It was everything I love about all movies ALL IN THE SAME FILM! Sorry to shout. But it was that good.
Go. See it. Then see it again. I really really want this movie to wipe the smile off of James "King Of The World" Cameron's face. And it can do it. It already is. So let's all lend a hand to making the worlds first truly great superhero movie the winner it should be. Because lets face it.
The Avengers actually DESERVES all this hype.
Comments
Post a Comment